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ORLANDO, Fla. – Golf was Plan A for Jeff McNeil, a two-time Main League Baseball All-Star who teed it up in his first Hilton Grand Holidays Match of Champions celeb occasion this week. That’s, till he had a nasty second spherical within the 2009 U.S. Junior at Trump Nationwide in Bedminster, New Jersey, received by Jordan Spieth. A number of weeks later McNeil was again on the baseball subject, taking part in his first yr of highschool ball as a senior, finally touchdown a scholarship to Lengthy Seaside State.
The shift in plans labored out effectively for McNeil, a second baseman for the New York Mets. The person nicknamed the “Flying Squirrel” for the best way he dove after balls within the outfield now will get the perfect of each worlds, hoisting a trophy on, of all issues, Nationwide Squirrel Appreciation Day.
“I didn’t get to play numerous golf this offseason,” mentioned McNeil, “so tried to do the perfect I may and ended up figuring out.”
For some time, it appeared like McNeil may need to work a little bit tougher for the victory after the leaderboard had him tied with Mark Mulder at 138 factors within the Modified Stableford format.
McNeil hit a pair of strategy photographs to inside 5 ft on the final two holes considering he wanted to make birdie however missed each putts.
It seems, nonetheless, that Mulder’s scorer put him down for a birdie on the seventh gap when he really made double-bogey. Mulder mentioned he tried to appropriate the scoring error on the golf course.
The factors change dropped Mulder right into a share of third and introduced Lake Nona resident Annika Sorenstam into second. McNeil completed alone on the high at 138 after carding a 1-over 73 on a frigid day in central Florida, relieved to not have to return to the 18th tee.
“I feel I’ve been in a single playoff in my life,” he mentioned. “I feel in junior golf once I was like 17. Ended up dropping, in order that’s the one reminiscence I’ve from that.
“Undoubtedly didn’t need to go to a playoff.”
Sorenstam received off to a flying begin and lead the sphere early within the week however went dwelling annoyed that she couldn’t maintain the momentum going. The LPGA Corridor of Famer mentioned she’s not sure of what the remainder of her aggressive schedule will seem like this yr.
“I used to be tremendous excited after Spherical 1,” mentioned Sorenstam. “I felt like I hit some good photographs. It was like previous instances. It was enjoyable, had fun.
“Then the final three rounds I’ve been struggling fairly a bit and don’t really feel so excited as I did after primary. However what? I received to take the positives out of it. I assumed I actually scrambled effectively. A number of the photographs I hit had been actually loopy. Made some unbelievable up and downs. … I do know I’m tremendous shut.”
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